In Progress [LP CYOA] Tower

[ItsChon]

Also no, you would not have had a gun accident had you chosen the revolver.

Told y'all. Stop over analyzing everything the man writes, y'all are acting like we're after the Da Vinci Code or some shit.

 

[ERYFKRAD]

y'all are acting like we're after the Da Vinci Code or some shit

We're chasing the treavinci code bruh, and it ain't a treave game without all this.

 

[CappenVarra]

Also no, you would not have had a gun accident had you chosen the revolver.

 

[a cut of domestic sheep prime]

Also no, you would not have had a gun accident had you chosen the revolver.

Told y'all. Stop over analyzing everything the man writes, y'all are acting like we're after the Da Vinci Code or some shit.

In fairness, you're talking about a guy who wrote an entire fictional multiverse based on Buddhism, metaphysics and science fiction in which the players could not only kill the gods but become a god.

A bit more thought out than your standard D&D campaign.

 

[ItsChon]

In fairness, you're talking about a guy who wrote an entire fictional multiverse based on Buddhism, metaphysics and science fiction in which the players could not only kill the gods but become a god.

A bit more thought out than your standard D&D campaign.

True. But this is also the same guy that wrote a universe where some hobo runs around cobbling garbage together to make a junk mech, before succumbing to an extremely magical cow. So let's not get tooo head of ourselves here.

 

[a cut of domestic sheep prime]

I think it’s pretty clear that there’s a lot of thought put into this LP. The astras, the amount of world history in the update.

Regardless, I don’t think it’s reading too much into things to know that this guy is evil and we should do everything in our power to escape as fast as possible.

 

[ERYFKRAD]

In fairness, you're talking about a guy who wrote an entire fictional multiverse based on Buddhism, metaphysics and science fiction in which the players could not only kill the gods but become a god.

A bit more thought out than your standard D&D campaign.

True. But this is also the same guy that wrote a universe where some hobo runs around cobbling garbage together to make a junk mech, before succumbing to an extremely magical cow. So let's not get tooo head of ourselves here.

Your treavefu is weak. Have you read Legend and Immortal?

 

[Egosphere]

Ok, I'll flop to C

 

[Absinthe]

Ok, I'll flop to C

Why? B was winning. We're too outclassed for our slingshot to be a reasonable obstruction to him or whatever he is doing, so the only thing C does accomplish is antagonize him. And while he isn't trustworthy, he hasn't been hostile, and we don't want him to become hostile either.

 

[ItsChon]

Ok, I'll flop to C

Bruh.

 

[oscar]

'John' asking us might also be some vampire-esque thing (not being able to enter human homes without an invitation) that he cannot take us with him without our express permission.

 

[Egosphere]

Ok, I'll flop to C

Why? B was winning. We're too outclassed for our slingshot to be a reasonable obstruction to him or whatever he is doing, so the only thing C does accomplish is antagonize him. And while he isn't trustworthy, he hasn't been hostile, and we don't want him to become hostile either.

My first choice was D, but that's out of the question now. I've re-read his words a few times, and his intentions sound pretty evil, if you read between the lines. I don't see what telling 'no' will accomplish. If he's after us, he'll go after us anyways. If he's not after us, then he shouldn't be cornering us and cutting us off with mist and whatnot.

 

[Nevill]

I believe the other options were run like a bitch or pray while trying really hard to ignore the sound of baby bones being crushed in its jaws.

Oi, don't you diss an earnest prayer!

Didn't you know that there is nothing that repels devils better than the Word of God? Clearly the beast would cover and run in fear if we invoked His name!

...less sure what'd happen if we invoked a sexy Naga...

Have you read Legend and Immortal?

Even I haven't read Immortal. What's that?

 

[Absinthe]

Ok, I'll flop to C

Why? B was winning. We're too outclassed for our slingshot to be a reasonable obstruction to him or whatever he is doing, so the only thing C does accomplish is antagonize him. And while he isn't trustworthy, he hasn't been hostile, and we don't want him to become hostile either.

My first choice was D, but that's out of the question now. I've re-read his words a few times, and his intentions sound pretty evil, if you read between the lines. I don't see what telling 'no' will accomplish. If he's after us, he'll go after us anyways. If he's not after us, then he shouldn't be cornering us and cutting us off with mist and whatnot.

I don't see what voting C will accomplish other than piss him off. We don't exactly have the means for our slingshot to really achieve anything. No one has presented a persuasive scenario for how our slingshot is supposed to bail us out of this situation. So the difference between B and C is "do you want to refuse him or do you want to refuse him and piss him off?" And again, while he certainly seems untrustworthy, he hasn't been hostile so far. He's not someone we can take on either.

 

[Azira]

The votes will be locked soon, and right now we're warming up the slingshot. My least favourite choice. Ohwell. It's certainly going to be interesting.

 

[Tigranes]

OK, I went back to the update with a fresh mindset. Sorry if someone mentioned this already:

I just want to talk.” He leans over gleefully, his blue eyes almost bulging in excitement. Striking the ground with his cane, he continues talking. “I came to talk with Dame Tlalli, mind you, that dear old friend of mine. Imagine my surprise when I found such wonderful little children along with her, in such a dangerous place!.

Dude cannot contain his glee when he mentions us. In fact...

“I can, dear boy, get you home.” John Bull’s grin widens even further, as if to split his face apart

...he is fucking delighted at the thought of taking us with him. My best guess is he wants to use us as bait to get at Tlalli in some way, whether that means using us as hostages or something less drastic.

So how to resist? If we refuse with B and he comes for us, I imagine we would try to defend ourselves anyway. So C over B is predicated on the idea that a surprise round w/ slingshot to start combat will make a difference. Will it?

The only possibility I see for that, is if John Bull is not as powerful as he appears - if he is putting on a bit of a show to frighten us into his designs. We would have to hope that our actions throw off his mist somehow, and alert Tlalli that something is going wrong. However, the Bull and his mist, to the best of our intuition, seems powerful:

Most of all, you can feel a wrongness about him… a wrongness you last felt with the monk in the ruins ... As he takes a deep bow, you sense a subtle change in your surroundings. Somehow, the world feels less real. A mist has descended around you

Hence, flop from C to B.

 

[Nevill]

So C over B is predicated on the idea that a surprise round w/ slingshot to start combat will make a difference.

Essentially, yes. We are hoping that something makes its way to Tlalli, be it Sophie, a sound, a show of magical power John uses to snatch the pebble out of the air... anything.

If he is so powerful, then our shot would be an equivalent of a feeble punch thrown by a child, so what does it matter?

I wonder if these people have some kind of signature that allows one to sense the other, and if some of that is what we sense as "wrongness". I also wonder if our mark is of a similar nature.

 

[Kz3r0]

Here the votes:
Edited the flops.

vote A

B

B

B

B

B

B

B>D

B

B>D>C

D>B

C

C

C > B

C>D>B

C>B

Flopping to C.

C.

C>D

C

 

[ERYFKRAD]

Even I haven't read Immortal. What's that?

I think I meant Epic? What was the one with Ean called?

 

[Nevill]

Yes, EPIC.

Here the votes:

You are missing ItsChon's flop.

 

[Absinthe]

Essentially, yes. We are hoping that something makes its way to Tlalli, be it Sophie, a sound, a show of magical power John uses to snatch the pebble out of the air... anything.

So basically, it's a PRAY vote.

If he is so powerful, then our shot would be an equivalent of a feeble punch thrown by a child, so what does it matter?

By that logic we should've tried to attack the monk in the ruins. Since he can handle it anyway, what does it matter? Turns out there are a lot of things you can do that while they won't be a threat to your target, will nevertheless drastically worsen your own situation.

I wonder if these people have some kind of signature that allows one to sense the other, and if some of that is what we sense as "wrongness". I also wonder if our mark is of a similar nature.

All we know is that this guy is dangerous, he's offering us a sketchy deal, and he's not attacking us. I think the safest option is to give a polite and clear refusal here, since we can't take him on and shouldn't risk pissing him off. The odds of C doing something useful seem to be much lower than the odds of it starting something bad.

 

[Kz3r0]

B 10 votes with Life of the Party conditional.

C 9 votes.

 

[Nevill]

I am a spray and pray guy. Why'd you think I want an SMG?

By that logic we should've tried to attack the monk in the ruins. Since he can handle it anyway, what does it matter?

Sure would if he were alone, and we were found out and confronted. Which we weren't, so we didn't.
I did, however, vote for attacking a light source, and running away.

 

[Baltika9]

Essentially, yes. We are hoping that something makes its way to Tlalli, be it Sophie, a sound, a show of magical power John uses to snatch the pebble out of the air... anything.

So basically, it's a PRAY vote.

No more than B, if we want to go down that road. In either case, we're relying on extrapolation without knowing what's going around. He may try to abduct us anyway, he may not; Sophie may make it to Tlalli before Mr. Bull gets his hands on us, she may not.

But only one of these options has us standing up to the incarnation of Perfidious Albion, and that's C.

 

[Absinthe]

Sure would if he were alone, and we were found out and confronted. Which we weren't, so we didn't.

We were found out by the priest.

I did, however, vote for attacking a light source, and running away.

So did I. And the difference between attacking the light source and attacking the monk or knight captain was that the light source was an option that was within our abilities. Attacking the knight captain or monk clearly wasn't and would only have put us in a worse position, even though it wouldn't have realistically threatened our targets.

No more than B, if we want to go down that road. In either case, we're relying on extrapolation without knowing what's going around. He may try to abduct us anyway, he may not; Sophie may make it to Tlalli before Mr. Bull gets his hands on us, she may not.

No, there's a difference. C is definitely initiating hostilities. B is not. And hostilities are beyond our means to handle here. There's a difference between politely declining the offer of an untrustworthy entity that is non-hostile and attempting to be a gentleman here, and assaulting said entity and hoping it works out. I don't see some kind of special "surprise round" magic happening with C. He was quick enough on the uptake when it came to reading our wariness in the first place. And if the man is going to attack us, we'll fight back either way. So the main difference is that in C we're provoking him whereas in B we're not.

But only one of these options has us standing up to the incarnation of Perfidious Albion, and that's C.

That's the characterization of John Bull as written by UK's critics. The UK's own characterization is rather more positive. At any rate, we're turning down his offer either way.